Month: April 2016

THE DUKE “The Duke of York” 1225 Queen Street East “The Duke of York … is the oldest continuous business in the east-end Toronto neighborhood of Leslieville. A former stagecoach stop and hotel, the watering hole sits at the heart of an area that has remained determinedly working class – one of the last enclaves to resist yuppification”. (Kelly Toughill, Leslieville street signs recall proud… in the Column People & Places. The Toronto Star, November 9, 1987) There were about 300 licenses during the 1860s when the population of the City of Toronto was from 45,000 to 55,000 or about one to every 166 persons. That’s a lot of taverns and a lot of competition. Even out in Leslieville there were a number of taverns, but one stood out as bigger, bolder and it was made of brick. That tavern was the Morin House Hotel which became the Duke of York and is known now simply as “The Duke”. To serve liquor, an inn needed a license. The City of Toronto granted taverns licenses …